The Complete Idiot's Guide to Amateur Theatricals

Thinking Out of the Box

Curt Ebersole

Producer & Musical Director

Northern Valley Old Tappan High School, NJ

Profile by John Kenrick

In some cases, the challenge is not to get a performing arts program started,
but rather to keep it going in the face of staff changes and financial uncertainty.
Curt Ebersole was fresh out of Northwestern University when he was hired by the
music department at Northern Valley Old Tappan High School in Bergen County, New
Jersey. Trained to teach and conduct a band, he was also expected to serve as
producer and musical director of the annual all-school musical.

Ebersole had taken part in amateur musicals, but had never seen himself as
the one in charge. "I did pit orchestras in high school," he says, "and played
lead roles in two musicals, but I had no experience at producing or conducting.
NVOT's outgoing music chair had been there 25 years and had initiated the
tradition of annual school productions. I got to watch him that first year and
learn a whole new way of doing shows. I also had to learn about hiring
professionals for the pit orchestra, and integrating them with the students. The
next year, I was pretty much on my own and still learning by doing, which was
exhausting. In my third year, a new faculty member was willing to collaborate
with me. She served as director, I served as musical director, and we shared the
title and duties of producer."

The arrangement worked well, and as NVOT's reputation grew, Ebersole
found himself enjoying the production process. "I love conducting the
pit, first and foremost," he says, "and the opportunity to work with an
integrated group of kids and professional musicians. There's nothing
like showing the kids what its like to work under real professional
conditions, and seeing them meet that challenge. I love being the
motivator from the pit, driving the performance from the podium. I get
excited about that responsibility. And of course, I love seeing the cast
and crew develop from a group of individuals into a committed,
well-oiled machine through the weeks of rehearsals - and seeing them
develop real leadership, and a real sense of responsibility for their
jobs."

Rather than exist at the mercy of school budgets, Ebersole kept the annual
musicals self-supporting, covering all production expenses with ticket and ad
sales. Because of NVOT's proximity to New York City, it has been possible to hire
musicians and production consultants with Broadway credentials. Other theatrical
professionals who live in the community have volunteered their services over the
years. The results led to numerous honors, including 2 Helen Hayes Theatre Awards
and 19 Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards.

One of the facts of theatrical life is that priorities can change, as
Ebersole learned when his director and co-producer left the team to meet to other
important commitments. Since then, Ebersole has served as producer and musical
director, all the while maintaining a demanding teaching schedule. Others have
filled the role of stage director over the years, but the transition periods can be
stressful. "Whenever certain leadership moved on, I had to step in to varying
degrees, and it was too much to handle with all my other responsibilities. I hated
dealing with aspects of backstage production I was not familiar with. Then there
are management and discipline issues. Someone has to be the final authority
onstage and backstage - that's how it has to be. I cannot do that, conduct and
produce at the same time."

When asked what has kept him doing these shows at NVOT for more than a quarter
century, Ebersole replies, "The fact that I can get up in the morning and do
these things when so many cannot motivates me. Beyond that, I feel a real
obligation to those who came before me. We're talking about a tradition that
stretches back more than four decades." For NVOT's 40th production, Ebersole
brought back The King and I, which had been the school's first show. "A dozen
members of the 1963 cast came back for the 2003 production," he says, "with our
original King flying all the way up from Florida. What a sense of pride and
history that gave the kids."

As far as Ebersole is concerned, school shows are first and foremost about
the students. He says, "Being part of these productions teaches them respect,
teamwork, and also the value of introspection. They have to analyze characters,
and face someone else's problems - a challenge for any teenager. Beyond that,
there is so much to learn and do. And when the curtain opens, there are no
excuses - they have to deliver. And not just the actors! The kids backstage
must take real initiative, and they do, year after year. I don't know any better
training for the real-life challenges and responsibilities they will have to
face as adults."

Mr. Ebersole may not have planned on producing amateur theatre for several
decades, but as an award-wining educator (New Jersey Master Music Teacher Award
for 2003), he has come to see the annual school musical as a vital contribution
to the lives of his students. "Musical theatre is the most complete art form we
have, because it brings together so many other art forms at their highest. Even
when former students come back to tell you that these shows affected their lives
in a lasting way, you've got to feel great."